Multi-piece crown for cassette of pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine

ABSTRACT

A crown for a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine includes: a generally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end; a generally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, the divider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality of radially-extending teeth; and a cap mounted to the upper surface of the divider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality of alternating hummocks and furrows. The cap is attached to the divider with a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to the divider with a second fastener.

RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority from and the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/964,447, filed Jan. 22, 2020, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in full.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a medicament packing machine, and moreparticularly, to a rotating crown within a tablet cassette for amedicament packaging machine capable of easily releasing lodged tabletswithout damage.

BACKGROUND

Generally, a medicament packing machine is an apparatus that receivestablets from one of a variety of tablet cassettes and discharges thetablets according to a specified regime. An example of theabove-described conventional tablet packing machine is shown in FIG. 1 .As illustrated in FIG. 1 , the medicament packing machine includes aplurality of tablet cassettes 100 in a shelf positioned in an upperportion, a tablet discharging device 200 in a lower portion, a hopper300 below the tablet cassettes 100 and the tablet discharging device200, and a sealing portion 500 for transferring the packing paper,printed upon by a printer 400, to seal the packing paper.

The structure and operation of the conventional tablet cassettesprovided in the conventional medicine packing machine will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 2 . As illustrated in FIG. 2 , theconventional tablet cassette includes a cassette 101 for receivingtablets having a passage 102 formed at a lower side thereof, a cassettesupport 103 in which the cassette 101 is detachably installed to theupper side of the cassette support 103 and which has an inclined passage104 communicated with the passage 102 at one side thereof, and adischarge driver 105 provided in the cassette 101 and the cassettesupport 103.

The discharge driver 105 includes a rotating body 108 (in some instancesknown as a “crown”) having a plurality of divisional protrusions 106formed on the outer circumference thereof and step-shaped jaws 107formed on the upper surface thereof at regular intervals, and a drivingmotor 109 for rotating the rotating body 108 in a forward direction.Tablets received in the cassette 101 climb over the jaws 107 due to therotation of the rotating body 108 induced by the driving motor 109 andare received in the spaces between the divisional protrusions 106 whilesliding along the upper surface of the rotating body 108. One by one,the tablets are discharged through the passage 102 and the inclinedpassage 104.

Exemplary machines and cassettes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,258,248;6,898,919; and 7,637,078, all of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in full.

There may be instances in which improvements may be achieved tocomponents of the cassettes 100, such as the crowns 108.

SUMMARY

As a first aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a crownfor a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine. The crown comprises: agenerally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end; agenerally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, thedivider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality ofradially-extending teeth; and a cap mounted to the upper surface of thedivider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality ofalternating hummocks and furrows. The cap is attached to the dividerwith a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to the dividerwith a second fastener.

As a second aspect, embodiments of the invention are directed to a crownas described above in combination with a cassette configured forinstallation in the pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view illustrating a conventionalmedicament packing machine.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical sectional view illustrating aconventional tablet cassette for the medicament packing machine of FIG.1 .

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an exemplary crown for the cassette ofFIG. 2 according to embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the cap of the crown of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 5 is a bottom perspective view of the cap of FIG. 4 .

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the divider of the crown of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 7 is a bottom perspective view of the divider of FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of the hub of the crown of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 9 is a bottom perspective view of the hub of FIG. 8 .

FIG. 10 is an exploded bottom perspective view of the crown of FIG. 3 .

FIG. 11 is an exploded top perspective view of the crown of FIG. 3 .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention is described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments that are pictured anddescribed herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It will also beappreciated that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in anyway and/or combination to provide many additional embodiments.

Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. In the figures, certainlayers, components or features may be exaggerated for clarity. Thisinvention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and shouldnot be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather,these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thoroughand complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to thoseskilled in the art.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms that areused in this disclosure have the same meaning as commonly understood byone of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Theterminology used in the below description is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only and is not intended to belimiting of the invention. As used in this disclosure, the singularforms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms aswell, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be furtherunderstood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used inthis specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers,steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on,”“attached to,” “connected to,” “coupled with,” “contacting,” etc.,another element, it can be directly on, attached to connected to,coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements mayalso be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being,for example, “directly on,” “directly attached to,” “directly connectedto,” “directly coupled with,” or “directly contacting” another element,there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciatedby those of skill in the art that references to a structure or featurethat is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions thatoverlap or underlie the adjacent feature.

Spatially relative terms, such as “under”, “below”, “above”, “over”,“upper”, “lower”, “left”, “right” and the like, may be used herein forease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship toanother element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It willbe understood that the spatially relative terms are intended toencompass different orientations of the device in use or operation inaddition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if thedevice in the figures is inverted, elements described as “under” or“beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “over” theother elements or features. The device may be otherwise oriented(rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the descriptors ofrelative spatial relationships used herein interpreted accordingly.

As used herein, phrases such as “between X and Y” and “between about Xand Y” should be interpreted to include X and Y. As used herein, phrasessuch as “between about X and Y” mean “between about X and about Y.” Asused herein, phrases such as “from about X to Y” mean “from about X toabout Y.”

Referring now to FIG. 3 , a crown 10 for a cassette of a medicamentdispensing machine is shown therein. The crown 10 is a multi-pieceassembly that includes a cap 12, a divider 14 and a hub 16. Thesecomponents are discussed in greater detail below.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , the cap 12 is round and generally disc-shaped.The upper surface of the cap 12 includes four equidistantly-spaced,gently-arced hummocks 22 that are separated by four furrows 24. Each ofthe hummocks 22 covers an arc of between about 50 and 70 degrees, withthe interspaced furrows 24 covering about 20 to 40 degrees. A post 26extends upwardly from the center of the upper surface. Two diametricallyopposed countersunk holes 28 are present in respective hummocks 22.

Referring now to FIG. 5 , on its lower surface the cap 12 has a largecircular recess 30. Two diametrically opposed bosses 32 reside in therecess 30 and are coaxial with the holes 28. A larger central boss 34 islocated in the center of the recess 28, and is connected with the bosses32 by ribs 36.

In some embodiments, the cap 12 is formed of a polymeric material, suchas ABS. The cap 12 may be injection molded or, in some embodiments, 3-Dprinted or formed from stack layers of die-cut material.

Referring now to FIG. 6 , the divider 14 is round and disc-shaped. Apost 42 extends upwardly from the upper surface of the divider 14. Twoholes 44 are also located in the upper surface; the holes 44 arepositioned to align with the holes 28 of the cap 12. Ten teeth 46 arecircumferentially equidistantly spaced and extend radially outward fromthe side edge of the divider 14. A gap 48 is present between eachadjacent pair of teeth 46. Each of the teeth 46 has rounded upper edges49.

Referring now to FIG. 7 , the underside of the divider 14 has a slightlyraised circular platform 50 in its center. A generally circular recess52 with two diametrically-opposed lobes 54 recedes from the platform 50.Two opposed arcuate shoulders 56 are located in the recess 52, as is acentral hole 58.

In some embodiments, the divider 14 is formed of a polymeric material,such as ABS. The divider 14 may be formed via a machining process.

Referring now to FIG. 8 , the hub 16 is generally cylindrical. Two ears62 extend radially outwardly from the upper end of the hub 16. A tower64 with a hole 65 extends upwardly from the upper end of the hub 16. Arecess 66 surrounds the tower 64 and has two opposed inlets 68 withinthe ears 62. A circumferential groove 69 extends over an angle ofbetween about 180 and 300 degrees near the lower end of the hub 16.

Referring now to FIG. 9 , it can be seen that the tower 64 is hollow,such that a recess 72 is formed therein. A shoulder 74 is formed at thebase of the tower 64. Sixteen longitudinal grooves 71 are present on theinner surface of the hub 16 at its lower end, which form sixteenradially-inwardly-extending internal ribs 70.

In some embodiments, the hub 16 is formed of a polymeric material, suchas ABS. The hub 16 may be injection molded.

In addition, the divider 14 and/or the hub 16 may be formed by otherprocesses, including but not limited to 3-D printing.

Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the assembly of the crown 10 can beseen therein. The cap 12 overlies the divider 14 such that the post 42of the divider 14 is received in the central boss 34 of the cap 12.Screws 90 are inserted into the holes 28 in the cap 12 and arethreadedly received in the holes 44 of the divider 14 to fasten thesepieces together. The upper end of the hub 16 is inserted into the recess52 in the divider 14, with the ears 62 fitting within the lobes 54 ofthe divider 14. A screw 92 is inserted through the hole 65 in the tower64 of the hub 16 and into the central hole 58 of the divider 14. Theassembled crown 10 can then be installed in a cassette of a tabletdispensing machine such as are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 .

In the multi-piece configuration shown, the crown 10 can provide theuser with some advantages. Prior crowns have been manufactured by firstinjection molding a “blank” of material that has the upper “hummocked”surface and the lower end of the hub molded in. The teeth of the crownare then machined from a cylindrical surface to certain specificationsthat are dependent on the size and shape of tablet to be singulated. Asan example, a manufacturer may machine as many as 200 different customtooth configuration from three different sizes of blanks. Machining theteeth can be somewhat tricky, given the overall shape of the blank.

In contrast, the multi-piece crown 10 can be formed much more easily.The cap 12 and hub 16 can be injection-molded as separate pieces, as cana blank for the divider 14. The teeth 46 of the divider 14 can bemachined, with the process being simpler than it was previously due tothe shape of the blank, and also making more different toothconfigurations accessible. This flexibility can facilitate theproduction of different customized crowns.

Those of skill in this art will appreciate that the crown 10 may takeother forms. For example, although in the illustrated embodiment the hub16 has two ears 62 and the divider 14 has two lobes 54, other numbers ofears and lobes (for example, three of each) may be employed. The divider14 may have more or fewer teeth 46 (even as few as one tooth), and/orthe teeth 46 may be wider or narrower. The cap 12 may have more or fewerhummocks 22 (or the hummocks may be omitted entirely) and, therefore,also differing numbers of furrows 24, and/or may have hummocks 22 thatare steeper or shallower, or that are not arcuate. The pieces of thecrown 10 may be secured to each other via a different fastening method(e.g., a single screw inserted through the hub, divider and cap,snap-fit latches or hooks, adhesives, ultrasonic welding, etc.). Othervariations may also be employed.

The invention being thus described, it will be obvious that the same maybe varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as adeparture from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all suchmodifications as would be obvious to one skilled in the art are to beincluded within the scope of the following claims.

1. A crown for a pharmaceutical tablet packaging machine, comprising: agenerally cylindrical hub having an upper end and a lower end; agenerally disc-shaped divider mounted to the upper end of the hub, thedivider having upper and lower surfaces and a plurality ofradially-extending teeth; and a cap mounted to the upper surface of thedivider, the cap having an upper surface comprising a plurality ofalternating hummocks and furrows; wherein the cap is attached to thedivider with a first fastener, and wherein the hub is attached to thedivider with a second fastener.
 2. The crown defined in claim 1, whereinthe first fastener is distinct from the second fastener.
 3. The crowndefined in claim 1, wherein the hub, divider and cap are formed ofpolymeric materials.
 4. The crown defined in claim 3, wherein the huband cap are formed by injection molding.
 5. The crown defined in claim4, wherein the divider is formed by machining the teeth into aninjection molded blank.
 6. The crown defined in claim 3, wherein atleast one of the huh, divider and cap is formed by 3-D printing.
 7. Thecrown defined in claim 1, wherein the plurality of hummocks is a firstnumber, and the plurality of teeth is a second number that is differentthan the first number.
 8. The crown defined in claim 1, wherein theplurality of hummocks is between 3 and 6 hummocks, and the plurality ofteeth is between 8 and 15 teeth.
 9. The crown defined in claim 1, incombination with a cassette configured for installation in thepharmaceutical tablet packaging machine.
 10. The combination defined inclaim 9, further in combination with a pharmaceutical tablet packagingmachine.